Fed up with excessive plastic packaging?

Products ranging from Haagen-Dazs ice cream to shampoo could soon be available in specially designed reusable containers — if you live in the Toronto area. Loop lets you buy products from brands like Procter & Gamble and Nestle, then have the packaging collected to be cleaned, refilled and reused. It’s expected to launch with an as-of-yet unannounced major retailer by the end of the year. Our investigation earlier this year revealed why it’s often so hard to buy plastic-free.

Plastic packaging out of control at your supermarket? We challenge two families to help us uncover why supermarkets aren’t doing more to reduce plastic waste. 22:30

Use an app to pay? You should read this.

Have you ever downloaded an app that links to your bank account or credit card? It’s convenient and could get you discounts, but it may not be as safe as you think. A Halifax woman recently discovered someone in Montreal had spent $483.65 using her McDonald’s app. One cyber-security expert says you shouldn’t link your bank account to an app unless it offers a multi-factor authentication process.

The McDonald’s Canada app, known as MyMcD’s, allows customers to order food with their mobile devices. (Anjuli Patil/CBC)

On the hunt for fake olive oil

Can you tell the difference? The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is investigating after a bad olive harvest in Europe, which could indicate an increase in olive oil fraud. It’s sending agents to sample olive oil across the country to test it and make sure it isn’t cut with cheaper oils. If the agency finds any wrongdoing, it can have the product relabelled, force an importer to hold the product, or recall a product from store shelves entirely.

A poor olive harvest in Europe is prompting the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) to crack down on possible food fraud. (The Olive Farm)

Innovative nursing home: Are the rewards worth some risk?

Singing, dancing, cats and birds — those are some of things you’ll find at a long-term care home in Saskatoon. Sherbrooke Community Centre offers more freedom and choice to its residents to try to provide them with a better quality of life. For example, residents can choose when and what to eat. But this increased independence comes with some increased risks. Our investigation last week looked at the impact of staffing shortages at nursing homes in Ontario.

Care workers at the Sherbrooke Community Centre in Saskatoon dance with residents and dementia patients at least three times a week to keep them engaged. (David Common/CBC)

What else is going on?

An unlicensed car dealer has been rolling back odometers, according to B.C.’s regulator. Wild Grizzly Transport and Pasquale Zampieri have lost an application to become a wholesaler in the province as a result. Zampieri denies the…